Steve Molitor Ready for Ring ReturnFormer IBF Champ slated to fight again on June 26 at Casino Rama

Press Release

RAMA, ON – March 20, 2009 – Former IBF Junior Featherweight World Champion, “The Canadian Kid” Steve Molitor is officially on the comeback trail, and will return to the ring to face Mexico’s Heriberto Ruiz on June 26, at Casino Rama.

Prior to the main event at Rumble at Rama VII, in which Ruiz topped Panamanian Mauricio Martinez via unanimous decision for the vacant IBF Intercontinental championship, Orion Sports Management President Allan Tremblay announced that the winner of Martinez-Ruiz would in fact be Molitor’s next foe.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity,” said Molitor, who lost his world title last November to now unified WBA/IBF champion Celestino Caballero via fourth round TKO.

“And I’m very grateful to Casino Rama for continuing to give me a platform to perform, and to Allan Tremblay for putting me in a position to win back my IBF belt.”

For Tremblay, Molitor’s promoter, his star client’s return to the ring is all about desire, and positioning.

“I always wanted Steve back in the ring, not just hungry, but starving,” Tremblay said.

“I also wanted him to come back at the top end of the division so he’d be right back in the mix. And there’s no denying that (insert name) is as tough as they come. The winner will either go into an eliminator, or straight into a title shot.”

A picture perfect left flattened Cook, who rose on wobbly legs before suddenly collapsing face first in the ring with an apparent right leg injury. Cook was on the canvas for several minutes receiving medical attention but eventually left the ring under his own power, his right leg bandaged from top to bottom.

Official time was 1:16 of the 8th round.

Kitchener, Ontario’s Jason Douglas ran his record to 6-1, with 3 KO’s with a fifth round TKO over Guadalajara, Mexico’s Hugo Lomeli Gonzalez.

Sudbury’s Phil Boudreault suffered the first loss of his pro career after an ankle injury at 1:50 of the fifth round gave the TKO win to Hamilton’s Justin Fountain, who improves to 4-1-2, with 2 KO’s.

Boudreault falls to 5-1.

Buffalo, New York’s Felix Mercedes improved to 2-0, 1 KO’s with a bruising four round majority decision over a very game Paul Watson, of Brantford, Ontario.

With the loss, Watson record falls to 2-3.

ABOUT ORION SPORTS MANAGEMENT

Orion Sports Management is an Ontario based promotional company known for staging first classboxing events. Run by former Canadian Airline executive Allan Tremblay, Orion is the force behind Ontario’s biggest match ups, from their launch event at The Air Canada Centre ("The Night Of The Hurricane") to a series of televised events in the Niagara region featuring "Baby Joe" Mesi, Razor Ruddock, Egerton Marcus, Chad Brisson, and Steve Molitor.

ABOUT CASINO RAMA

Operating 24-hours a day, seven days a week since July 31, 1996, Casino Rama is Ontario's only First Nations commercial casino. The Casino offers a complete entertainment experience with over 2,500 slot machines, more than 110 gaming tables, ten unique restaurants, a world-class 5,000 seat Entertainment Centre and a 300-room all-suite, full-service hotel, featuring spa and health club facilities. Casino Rama is operated by Penn National Gaming, Inc.